A) General Privacy Policy - The Judicial Conference privacy policy addresses the protection of individual privacy in the context of access to electronic case files. Effective December 1, 2003, the policy requires that personal identifiers, such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, dates of birth, and names of minor children be redacted. A debtor and others who file documents with the court are responsible for redacting personal identifiers from documents filed with the court. Neither the clerk's office nor bankruptcy judges are responsible for this.

The privacy policy applies to all documents filed with the court, whether submitted by electronic means or by paper copy. The policy is not retroactive.

B) Excluding a Debtor's Personal Identifiers from Petition Packages - In compliance with the Judicial Conference privacy policy, effective December, 1, 2003, filers should redact certain personal or sensitive information from documents filed with the Court. "Personal identifiers" are the following:

1. Social Security Numbers: All 9 digits of the SSN - A debtor is required to submit a Statement of Social Security Number(s) (Official Form 121) containing the full nine-digit SSN at the time a petition is filed. The bankruptcy court clerk's office staff will use the information to open a bankruptcy case docket, but the actual Official Form 121 will not become part of the docket that is viewable by the public. Last 4 digits only – For all other documents in which an individual's SSN must be included, ONLY insert the last four digits of the SSN. If a debtor needs to amend a social security number, 3 forms must be filed. Download form below.
2. Financial Account Numbers: If financial account numbers are relevant, only the last four digits of these numbers should be used.
3. Dates of Birth: If an individual's date of birth must be included in a document, only the year should be used.

C) Excluding Names of Minor Children -- If the name of a minor child must be mentioned in a document, only the initials of that child should be used.

Download Form: Amended Statement of Social Security Number(s) or ITIN Number